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#WeAccept ad brings political message to Super Bowl

#WeAccept ad brings political message to Super Bowl
2 min read
06 February, 2017
The 30-second spot shows a series of faces of different colours, genders, ages and races with a running line of text saying 'No matter who you are... we all belong.'
Airbnb highlighted multiculturalism with its 30-second spot during a tense time of Trump's presidency [Twitter]
Home-sharing giant Airbnb injected a surprise political message during the Super Bowl on Sunday with a television spot highlighting multiculturalism and the hashtag #WeAccept.

While the American football championship normally frowns on overt political ads, the subtle message from Airbnb came amid a heated debate following President Donald Trump's order to block the flow of immigrants and refugees.

The 30-second spot shows a series of faces of different colours, genders, ages and races with a running line of text saying "No matter who you are, where you're from, who you love or who you worship, we all belong."

On Twitter, Airbnb founder and chief executive Brian Chesky also announced the group would donate $4 million over four years to the International Rescue Committee to assist refugees.

The ad, which was not revealed ahead of the game, prompted considerable reaction on Twitter.

"Great job airbnb executing a positive ad that draws people together & helps your brand. Acceptance starts with all of us," one Twitter user wrote.

But another Twitter user responded, "All of these commercials pushing multiculturalism is propaganda to accept Muslim refugees that seek to invade."

It also attracted the attention of the former United States Secretary of State:

Trump's January 27 decree prohibits entry to all refugees, regardless of nationality, for 120 days, and bars Syrian refugees indefinitely. It also suspends the issuance of visas for 90 days to migrants or visitors from seven mainly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

But the controversial ban was suspended by US authorities on February 4, enraging Trump who lashed out at the court's decision. He appealed to reinstate the ban a day later but it was again rejected.